Perilous days; the enemy's influence and work in
Christendom

Now this evil influence would too surely be exercised. The
power of the holy truth of God would be lost in the assembly and
among Christians; and those who bore this name would become (under
the influence of the enemy) the expression of the will and
passions of man, while still maintaining the forms of godliness; a
peculiar condition, which betrays in a remarkable way the
influence and the work of the enemy. This was to be expected; and
they would be perilous days.

The enemy deceiving souls by a form of godliness; the activity
of this evil; God's exposure and judgment of its teachers

The open opposition of the enemy is doubtless a painful thing,
but he deceives souls by the specious appearances of which the
apostle here speaks -- that which bears the name of Christianity,
that which before men has the character of godliness, and which
the flesh will accept as such much more readily than that which,
because it is true godliness, is contrary to the
flesh. Nevertheless all the worst features of the human heart are
linked with the name of Christianity. What then does the testimony
become? It is, so to speak, an individual prophecy, clothed in
sackcloth.

There is activity in this perilous evil of the last days: these
deceivers would creep into houses, and gain the ear of feeble
souls, who, governed by their passions, are ever learning yet
never learn. Teachers like these resist the truth, they are men of
corrupt minds, reprobate as to the faith; but they shall proceed
no farther. God will make manifest their folly and their falseness
by means even of their own pretensions, which they can no longer
maintain.

The man of God is to turn away from such men, while they are yet
deceiving and exercising their influence. God will expose them in
due time. All will then judge them, and condemn their pretensions;
the spiritual man does so while they are deceiving the others in
security.

Heathen degradation reproduced under Christianity, accompanied
by hypocrisy; departure from and correction of the true doctrine of
the Mediator

We may remark here that which evidences the sad and dangerous
character of the days of which the apostle is speaking If we
compare the lists of sins and abominations, which Paul gives at
the beginning of the epistle to the Romans, as characterising
heathen life and the moral degradation of men during those times
of darkness and demon-worship, with the catalogue of sins that
characterise those who have the form of godliness, we shall find
that it is nearly the same, and morally quite the same; only that
some of the open sins which mark the man who has no outward
restraint are wanting here, the form of godliness precluding them
and taking their place.

It is a solemn thought, that the same degradation which existed
among heathens is reproduced under Christianity, covering itself
with that name, and even assuming the form of godliness. But in
fact it is the same nature, the same passions, the same power of
the enemy, with but the addition of hypocrisy. It is only the
departure from, and corruption of, the true doctrine of the
Mediator; as Paganism was that of the true doctrine of the only
God.

The conduct of the man of God with regard to the vessels unto
dishonour

Different directions are given for the conduct of the man of
God, with regard to the vessels unto dishonour, and the men who
act in the spirit of the last days. From the former he is to
purge himself: he is to think of faithfulness in his own walk; and
by cleansing himself from those vessels which do not honour the
name of Christ, which (although in the great house) do not bear
the stamp of a pure desire for His glory, he shall be a vessel
unto honour, fit for the Master's use. By keeping apart from such
vessels, he is sheltered from the influences that impoverish and
degrade the testimony he has to render to Christ, he is pure from
that which deteriorates and falsifies that testimony.

His conduct and testimony to the corrupt opposers of the truth

In the other case -- that of the men who gave the character of
"perilous" to the last days, the corrupt opposers of the truth,
bearing the name of godliness -- with regard to these his
testimony is to be distinct and plain. Here he is not merely to
cleanse himself; he testifies his moral abhorrence, his loathing,
of those who, being the instruments of the enemy, bear this
character of formal piety. He turns away from them, and leaves
them to the judgment of God.

Timothy's pattern

Timothy had the walk and spirit of the apostle for his
pattern. He had been much with him; he had seen, in times of
trial, his patience and his sufferings, the persecutions he had
endured; but the Lord had delivered him out of all. It would be
the same with all who sought to live according to godliness, which
is in Christ Jesus:* they should endure persecution. Evil men and
seducers would wax worse and worse, deceiving others, and being,
at the same time, deceived themselves. {*We get the difference of
the state of things in this case also. It is not all Christians
who will be persecuted, but all who will live godly in Christ
Jesus.}

The character of the last days and the twofold progress of
evil

The character of the last days is strongly marked here, and
gives no hope for Christianity as a whole. The progress of evil is
described as developing itself in two distinct characters, to
which we have already alluded. The great house -- Christendom as a
whole -- in which there are vessels to dishonour, from which we
are to purge ourselves, and the positive activity of corruption,
and of the instruments who propagate it and resist the truth,
although they who corrupt themselves assume the form of
godliness. Under this last aspect the wicked will go on growing
worse and worse; nevertheless the hand of God in power will
demonstrate their folly.

The character of the seducers and of the mass seduced

We may distinguish, in this second category, the general
character of pride and corruptness in all who submit to this
malignant influence, and those who themselves labour to extend
it. Of the latter of this class, the apostle says, are they who
creep into houses. The character is that of the mass who are
seduced; but there are seducers. These resist the truth, and their
folly shall be manifested. It may be that God may demonstrate it,
wherever there is faithfulness, in order to save His own from it;
but, in general, their evil work will go on, and the seduction
grow worse and worse, until the end, when God will make manifest
the folly of those who have departed from Him, and given
themselves up to the errors of the human mind, and laboured to
maintain and propagate them.

Timothy's safeguard -- the truth received as a divine
communication through individuals such as the apostles

The apostle then tells Timothy of the safeguard on which he may
rely to preserve himself, through grace, stedfast in the truth,
and in the enjoyment of the salvation of God. Security rests upon
the certainty of the immediate origin of the doctrine which he had
received; and upon the scriptures received, as authentic and
inspired documents, which announced the will, the acts, the
counsels, and even the nature of God. We abide in that which we
have learnt, because we know from whom we have learnt it. The
principle is simple and very important. We advance in divine
knowledge, but (so far as we are taught of God) we never give up,
for new opinions, that which we have learnt from an immediately
divine source, knowing that it is so. By a source immediately
divine, I mean, a person to whom God Himself has communicated the
truth by revelation with authority to promulgate it. In this case
I receive what he says (when I know him to be such) as a divine
communication. It is true that the scriptures always remain as a
counter proof, but when -- as in the case of the apostles -- a man
is proved to be the minister of God, gifted by Him for the purpose
of communicating His mind, I receive what he says in the exercise
of his ministry as coming from God. It is not the assembly that is
in view in this case. It cannot be the vessel of divine truth
directly communicated to it from God. Individuals are always
that. We have seen that its part is to confess the truth when
communicated, not to communicate it. But we here speak of a person
to whom and by whom God immediately reveals the truth -- such as
the apostles and prophets. God has communicated to them, as elect
vessels for this purpose, that which He desired to communicate to
the world, and they have so communicated. None could do it who had
not received it himself from God as a revelation: if this is not
the case, the man himself has some part in it. I could not then
say, "I know of whom I have learnt it," as knowing that it came
immediately from God and by divine revelation.

When God had something to communicate to the assembly itself, He
did it by means of such persons as Paul, Peter, etc. The assembly
is composed of individuals; it cannot receive a divine revelation
in a mass, as the assembly, except it be by hearing in common a
divine voice, which is not God's way. The Holy Ghost distributes
to every one, severally as He will. There are prophets, and the
Spirit says, "Separate unto me Barnabas and Paul." Christ has
given gifts to men, some apostles, some prophets, etc. Accordingly
the apostle says here, not "where," but "of whom" thou hast learnt
these things.

Divine truth directly made known by inspiration to such men as
Paul with authority to impart it

Here, then, is the first foundation of certainty, strength, and
assurance for the man of God with regard to divine truth. It has
not been revealed to him immediately. It was Paul and other
instruments, whom God chose for this special favour. But he knows
of whom he has learnt it; even of one (here it was Paul) to whom
it had been directly made known by inspiration, and who has
authority from God to impart; so that they who learn of him know
that it is divine truth, exactly as God communicated it (compare 1
Cor. 2), and in the form in which He was pleased to communicate
it.

The Holy Scriptures, the written word, a permanent authority
and revelation, contrasted with the unrecorded prophecies which
were not necessary for, nor applicable to, God's people at all
times

There is another means, which has a character of its own; the
scriptures, which are as such the foundation of faith to the man
of God, and which direct him in all his ways. The Lord Jesus
Himself said (speaking of Moses), "If ye believe not his writings,
how shall ye believe my words?" His words were the words of God;
He does not contrast the authority of what He said with that of
the written word, but the means of communication. God has been
pleased to employ that means as a permanent authority. Peter says
"No prophecy of scripture . . . ." There have been many prophecies
which are not written; they had the authority of God for those
persons to whom they were addressed. For the word speaks more
than once of prophets -- who must therefore have prophesied --
without communicating their prophecies to us. They were
instruments for making known the will of God, at the moment, in
order to guide His people in their actual circumstances, without
its being a revelation necessary to the people of God at all
times, or applicable either to the world, to Israel, or to the
assembly in all ages. It was not a general and permanent
revelation from God for the instruction of the soul at all
periods.

A multitude of things, spoken by Jesus Himself, are not
reproduced in the scriptures; so that it is not only a question of
from whom we have heard a truth, but also of the character of that
which has been communicated. When it is for the permanent profit
of the people or the assembly of God, God caused it to be written
in the scriptures, and it abides for the instruction and the food
of His children in all ages.

The apostles as teachers authorised by the Lord; the entire
holy scripture having authority as making known God's will and
truth

The expression, "knowing of whom thou hast learned them,"
establishes us on personal apostolic authority, viewing the
apostles as teachers authorised by the Lord. John says, "They who
are of God hear us." It is not necessary that scripture should be
written by apostles; God has made known therein His will and the
truth, and has committed the sacred deposit to His people for the
profit of all ages. The scriptures have authority as such. And it
is not that which, as a spiritual man, one may receive from them,
that by which we have profited (as to application to one's soul
that is indeed all); but it is the entire holy scripture, such as
we possess it, which has this authority.

The scriptures as divine authority to guard against error and
give instruction; faith in Christ requisite to use them aright

From his childhood Timothy had read the holy scriptures; and
these writings, such as he had read them as a child, guarded him
-- as divine authority -- against error, and furnished him with
the divine truths needful for his instruction. To use them aright,
faith in Christ was requisite: but that which he used was the
scripture known from his youth. The important thing to observe
here is that the apostle is speaking of the scriptures, as they
are in themselves, such as a child reads them; not even of that
which a converted or spiritual man finds in them, but simply the
holy writings themselves.

The old and new testaments having the same character and
authority

It may perhaps be said, that Timothy as a child possessed only
the Old Testament. Agreed: but what we have here is the character
of all that has a right to be called holy scripture As Peter says
as to the writings of Paul, these, "They wrest; as they do also
THE OTHER SCRIPTURES.* From the moment that we acknowledge the New
Testament as having a title to that name, its writings possess the
same character and have the same authority as the Old
Testament. {*This too is the real sense of Romans 16: 26, where we
should read "by prophetic writings."}

What the scriptures are; their inspiration

The scriptures are the permanent expression of the mind and will
of God furnished as such with His authority. They are His
expression of His own thoughts. They edify, they are profitable:
but this is not all -- they are inspired. It is not only that the
truth is given in them by inspiration. It is not this which is
here stated. They are inspired.

The double source of authority of the greater part of the New
Testament

The greater part of the New Testament is comprised in the first
source of authority, "knowing of whom thou hast learnt them,"
namely, all that which the apostles have written; because, in
learning the truth therein, I can say I know from whom I have
learnt it -- I have learnt it from Paul, or from John, or from
Peter, etc. But, besides this, being received as scriptures, they
have the authority of divine writings, to which, as a form of
communication, God has given the preference above the spoken
word. They are the permanent rule by which every spoken word is to
be judged.

The object and power of the inspired scriptures

In a word the scriptures are inspired. They teach, they judge
the heart, they correct, they discipline according to
righteousness, in order that the man of God may be perfect, that
is, thoroughly instructed in the will of God, his mind formed
after that will and completely furnished for every good work. The
power for performing these comes from the actings of the
Spirit. Safeguard from error, wisdom unto salvation, flow from the
scriptures; they are capable of supplying them. We are to abide in
that which we have learnt from the apostles, and to be governed by
the writings of God.

The scriptures the foundation and warrant of the ministry of
the word, silencing all opposition in the believer

Does this perfect and supreme authority of the scriptures set
aside ministry? By no means; it is the foundation of the ministry
of the word. One is a minister of the word; one proclaims the word
-- resting on the written word -- which is authority for all, and
the warrant for all that a minister says, and imparting to his
words the authority of God over the conscience of those whom he
teaches or exhorts. There is, in addition to this, the activity of
love in the heart of him who exercises this ministry (if it be
real), and the powerful action of the Spirit, if he be filled with
the Holy Ghost. But that which the word says silences all
opposition in the heart or mind of the believer.

It was thus that the Lord answered Satan, and Satan himself was
reduced to silence.

The scriptures as the rule given of God; the action of the
Spirit is in ministry; The word of God our authority since the
subjects of revelation were completed by Paul

He who does not submit to the words of God thereby shows himself
to be a rebel against God. The rule given of God is in the
scriptures; the energetic action of His Spirit is in ministry,
although God can equally act upon the heart immediately by the
word itself. Nevertheless ministry, since the revelations of God
were completed, could not be an authority, or there would be two
authorities; and if two, one must be a needless repetition of the
other, or else, if they differed, no authority at all.

If the revelations were not complete, no doubt there might be
more. The Old Testament left untold the history of Christ, the
mission of the Holy Ghost, the formation of the assembly; because
these facts not being yet accomplished could not be the subject of
its historical and doctrinal instructions, and the assembly was
not even the subject of prophecy. But all is now complete, as Paul
tells us that he was a minister of the assembly to complete the
word of God (Col. 1: 25). The subjects of revelation were then
completed.